Tom Izzo to Draymond Green: You cry about every call

DENVER – The long conversation surely reflected Draymond Green expressing gratitude and reminiscing on pleasant memories. After all, the Warriors forward has considered Michigan State coach Tom Izzo "one of my best friends" that has served as a "father figure, coach, friend and brother."

The talk did not just center on nostalgia and platitudes, though. Both men do not bite their tongues. So with Izzo in town for the Warriors’ 128-107 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, Green’s former coach offered brutal honesty to a man who also often speaks his mind.

"What are you doing? You cry about every call," Izzo said, according to Green. "You’re worried about the wrong things."

Unlike what he often does with officials, Green nodded in agreement.

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"My relationship with him has meant a lot," Green said of Izzo. "I can always get an unbiased opinion from somebody who really knows the game of basketball, which is special. He’s somebody that will tell me, ‘You’re wrong.’"

Green often has believed he is right.

During his six-year NBA career, Green has shared his opinion with the officials. They do not always take kindly to Green’s feedback. Green already picked up three technical fouls this season, including two in an ejection in last week’s win over Washington. The NBA stated it ejected and subsequently fined Green $25,000 for "failing to disengage" from Washington guard Bradley Beal after the two tangled for a rebound, a sequence that entailed Beal wrapping Green up and hitting his face. Green stated the NBA ejected him and later fined him because of his reputation within the league office that he constantly complains after he hears a whistle against him.

Green has since said, "I try to stop paying attention to the calls." Green shared that Izzo stressed the need to back up those words with more consistent action.

"You can’t control what’s called," Green said Izzo told him. "But you can control your reaction."

Nonetheless, Green has often argued he needs to react that way, both to defend himself and to play with the necessary edge that has made him a two-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA All-Star and last season’s NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.

"He’s kind of crazy. His competitive desire, he’s nuts. I mean that in the highest sense of being complimentary," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "A lot of these guys today grew up playing AAU ball together and it’s buddy- buddy. Draymond wants to kill everybody out there, metaphorically speaking. That competitive edge, combined with his modern day versatility, is an unbelievable combination for us."

And it is an unbelievable combination that prompted Nuggets coach Mike Malone to call Green “the most important piece" on the Warriors.

Malone fully realized the meaning behind his words. Moments earlier, Malone had just labeled the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant "the three of the greatest shooters ever to play the game." But Malone doubled down, describing Green as "the glue to that team" because of his "intangibles" that include his playmaking, rebounding, defense, leadership and toughness.

"A lot of people might think I’m crazy," Malone said. "But he’s the guy that keeps it all together."

Because of that defensive versatility, Kerr considered Green "the best defender in the league" and labeled him as "the ideal modern-day power forward."

Ideally, Green hopes to play better on defense this season after only considering it "solid." In recent games, the Warriors and Green both echoed his need to play more aggressively, which resulted in averaging 15.67 points per game on 75 percent shooting, seven rebounds and 6.67 assists during the Warriors’ 3-0 trip against the Clippers, Spurs and Nuggets.

The next step? Green wants to answer Izzo’s call to worry less about the officials and more about his game. After all, Green expressed feeling touched that Izzo skipped what he called "a huge recruiting weekend" when No. 24 Michigan State hosted No. 7 Penn State. Instead, Izzo said, "I’m going to see my guys" in Green and Nuggets guard Gary Harris. Therefore, Green suggested he had a stronger obligation to follow up on Izzo’s biting words.

"He’s a special guy. I’m thankful for him in my life," Green said. "He has done so much for me, as a man, as a player. He’s meant a lot to me and still does."